Okami: Reincarnation
by StarchildKiryl
Summary: Issun Boshi is a runaway on the run from a dangerous gang who's leader, Yami, desperately wants his village's sacred sword, Denkomaru. He's not sure why, but he would rather not find out. Join him and his wolfy friend Shiranui as they arrive in Kamiki Village to hide from those after them. But where Issun goes, trouble is bound to follow. (Modern Reincarnation AU, of sorts).
1. Chapter 1

The sun was setting slowly over the land of Nippon, bathing the world below in a golden-red glow. Any folk wandering about outside were now returning to their homes for a long day at work, school, or where ever else they may have been. In this land of Nippon, a place called Taka Pass exists and so few people live in that place that it was quite easy for the ones there to miss the small teenager stretched out at the base of the Pass' "Guardian Sapling". But he was still there nonetheless, at he top of that cliff.

Beneath the branches of the massive sakura tree the boy laid alongside a large white wolf. His black hair was pulled up into a ponytail and through the green cap he wore. The cap was tilted in a way that hid his eyes from passersby yet still allowed for him to watch them as the went. Some thought that it looked strange on the boy as it looked like some kind of beetle, but he liked it. He had added the black and red spots to the cap himself, as well as the antennas sticking up off of it. Painting wasn't the only thing he was good at after all, he liked to consider himself a sort of jack of all artistic trades. Only he was the master of them all, or so he liked to think. As he watched the last person scurry off to where ever they were headed he flicked the cap a bit.

Pushing himself up into a sitting position, he reached over and nudged the wolf beside him. His only response was a loud huff from his companion. Another attempt at rousing the wolf resulted in a low growl and he flinched away. Sure he trusted that she wouldn't hurt him, but she was still a wolf. A fucking **_wolf_**. He enjoyed having both his hands enough to not push his luck with her. So instead he growled back and turned to the bags beside him, digging out a couple of plain rice balls out of the backpack as he loudly exclaimed, "Well fine then, furball! Have it your way! Hope you don't mind waiting 'til morning for your share though."

Almost instantly the wolf was on her feet, head resting on the boy's shoulder as she peered over at the bag and the food in his hands. His face scrunched up and he pushed her away when he felt a trail of wolf slobber drip down his arm. "AH! GROSS! These are my last pair of clean clothes! I don't need you slobbering all over them!" The wolf whined at him, butting her head into his side repeatedly before he finally gave in and tossed her a small handful of dried jerky. Seemingly satisfied she laid down and munched away.

As the boy ate his own snack he watched the wolf. Shiranui was her name, but sometimes he would call her "furball", "Snowy", or even "Shira-chan". He was currently her unwilling companion, though it seemed to him like she didn't notice. She had been following him for sometime now, after he had freed her, fed her, and patched up her wounds. He had to admit, she was a pretty animal alright. Her thick, snow white coat was dyed with red in strange patterns, They were all along her body and he assumed that it was to mark her in the dog fighting ring he rescued her from. Sure Shiranui was trouble sometimes and loved to be goofy, but somehow he knew she was...different from your average wolf. One thing he knew was that she was definitely smarter.

He pushed those thoughts from his head as he realized he had finished eating and that Shiranui was now watching him intently. With a sigh, he reached over to his bags and zipped the backpack. His satchel was the first he picked up, followed by the backpack. The first thing he did once he was up was adjust his purple tunic and green jacket so that they sat comfortably underneath the crossing straps of his bags.

Hurriedly checking the rest of his outfit only proved what he already knew. He still had his brown, paint-spattered boots and the slightly large black slacks were secure enough to not fall in front of any babes he might run into on his travels. He did a quick double check to be sure and looked up to see for the first time that it was dark. Good. Dark was good. His clothes were dark enough to hide him and Shiranui knew to follow him in the bushes. See, smarter than the average wolf. The boy peered out from behind the massive tree and, upon seeing no one, made a beeline for the path down with Shiranui on his heels.

They moved quickly and only stopped once they reached the cave leading further down. Shiranui strained her senses and after a few minutes of not seeing, hearing, or smelling anything, she barked once. It was safe to go. She watched the boy go first, hurrying a long to reach the end of the tunnel-cave, and followed suit. She wasn't sure why he was always hurrying, always hiding, but he was and she owed him her life. Now she could live long and die free instead of having to be murdered by her lupine brothers, driven mad by the forced fights. Oh, she was slowing down. Best to hurry since he would need her once they were at the end of this cave. She had a job to do after all.

Emerging from the cave the boy ran to the bushes beside it's entrance and knelt to the ground. He pushed aside the carefully laid leaves to reveal a long, green silk bundle, wrapped up tightly with twine to keep it's contents hidden from prying eyes. It looked untouched, but he still unwrapped it to reveal the sleek black sheath of the sword within. Despite the fine, soft bristle bundle at the weapons hilt, he still unsheathed it. The mirror-like blade reflected the moon perfectly as he held it up, and he smiled. Denkomaru was still safe, though he questioned his sanity for risking his life over the sword every time he saw it. Still, it was...familiar...a nagging feeling somewhere deep in his brain said so at least.

It was part of his village's lore, he knew that much, but that wasn't why. No, it felt more personal. The fact that it's weight was perfectly balanced and the hilt just big enough for him to hold with both hands didn't help. As if that weren't enough proof that Denkomaru was his, it was also taken from the local shrine. He was told to leave it be. It was better not to get involved, but after he left home and saw the thief, he couldn't stop himself. Nothing new there though, _"Leap before you think"_ was his motto after all, but the fact that he had reclaimed it from a gang leader's car just outside of Wep'keer sure was. He usually valued his safety more than that.

Shaking his head he sheathed the blade once again and re-wrapped it, this time tying it to Shiranui's back. He would carry it himself, but if he were ever caught, he wanted to keep Denkomaru out of those people's hands. Shiranui would definitely be able to out run them better than he ever could. He could outrun them before, sure, but Shiranui was faster than he was. The wolf always won all of their races anyway.

Pulling out a map from his satchel, he glanced at Shiranui and said, "Well, Kusa would take a bit to get too and I'm starting to think it'd be best to just get to Kamiki, so we should probably just skip it...wanna stop at Sasa Sanctuary? We should have enough money left and I could do with a break. A bed would also be nice or even a futon if that's what they have there...you think there'll but some hot babes? That'd be very welcome...Oh! And warm food...yeah..." The boy trailed off and it took a moment to realize that he was drooling, and more over food than girls! He chuckled to himself. "I guess being a wandering artist ain't all it's cracked up to be, huh Snowy? It's tough, even for the great Issun." The wolf only let out a low whine at that and shook her head.

The rest of the trip was a quiet one. There wasn't much to talk about, especially with a wolf, so he simply didn't. Finally they stood before the large Torii gate that led to Sasa Sanctuary, the boy's hand twitched at the sight of the massive structure, but he couldn't bring himself to pull his sketchbook out. Instead he just walked under it with and up the path to the famous Sasa Sanctuary.

* * *

Sunlight streamed through the window, blinding Issun for a moment as his eyes adjusted to the light. He groaned and flopped around on the futon, tangling himself in the blanket as he did. He only tried to get up when Shiranui ripped them away and sent him tumbling to the floor. "Ugh...five more minutes furball..."

The wolf growled in response, pulling him across the floor by his pants leg. "Alright, alright! I'm up! Leggo a me!" Issun howled, kicking at the wolf. She obeyed, dropping the boy's leg and sitting back on her haunches. Her tongue hung from her mouth and she wagged her tail as she waited patiently. He slowly got up, glaring at the wolf before shuffling over to his bags. After pulling out a dark violet, long sleeve shirt and another pair of black slacks, he quickly got dressed. It was a good thing he thought to wash his clothes the night before, because now he wouldn't have to waste time washing them this morning.

He tied the bundle carrying Denkomaru to Shiranui's back and glanced over at the small table in the center of his room. Some of the food was still there from the night before so he pulled out a couple of plastic containers from the bottom of the backpack. Of course he was going to take the leftovers, it meant saving money for more important things, like his art supplies.

Issun knew he needed to get more of them and he had originally planned to pick some up in Kusa village, but he figured it would be better to skip it. It was hard to explain exactly, but he had a bad feeling about going there at the moment.

Instead, he gathered all his things and left Sasa Sanctuary, following the path onward towards Agata Forest. The plan was for him and Shiranui to reach Kamiki Village as soon as possible. It was so far from his home village up in Kamui that he hoped he'd be safe there. Surely that Yami man wouldn't search here for a long time. In fact, he kind of expected the man to believe he died out in the snow somewhere and that Denkomaru was lost to him.

Still he really wanted to know what was so special about the sword. Aside from the quality and age, all it had was the old lore around it. Take all of that away and Denkomaru was just a fancy katana, right? It's not like the legends about it were true, but if Yami wanted it because he actually believed them then he was dumber than Issun first thought. Whatever the reason, Issun didn't care. He wasn't going to let them have his Denkomaru.

The duo finally reached Agata Forest, on the side of the wooden bridge that lead to Taka Pass. Shiranui had made it halfway across before noticing that her companion hadn't followed. He was just staring at the rapids uneasily, looking a little pale. It wasn't until she barked that he actually set foot on it and slowly made his way to her, sticking close to the middle of the bridge.

"Geez...you ever see a river with rapids like that?" Issun commented as they crossed over it. "I mean, I can hardly believe this dinky little bridge can even stay up with them. I'd hate to fall into there. Probably get killed huh? Like, if you don't drown you'll probably split your head open on one of the rocks or something, huh?" The wolf huffed, and trotted ahead once they reached the other side. "Okay from here, it should be a straight shot over to Kamiki. So let's hurry up! I'll race you to the other side of the forest furball!"

With that Issun took off, leaving behind a startled Shiranui for only a second. It didn't take the wolf long to catch up and take the lead though. As they neared the path to Shinshu Fields Issun told himself that he would come back to paint the massive trees that towered high over them and the murky waters of the land. Neither of them saw the woman watching them with beady black eyes. With a grin she pulled a simple black flip phone from the sleeve of her spider web-patterned kimono and quickly dialed a number.

"Hello Lord Yami. I found your missing blade. Shall I alert the brothers to keep track of it?"

* * *

 **A/N: This is my first Okami fanfiction, so I'd appreciate feedback. Also I'd like to explain a few things.**

 **1) This is based on a modern reincarnation AU. Yes Issun is the main character, but you'll find out why him and not Ammy later on. Feel free to guess though.**

 **2) Ammy will be human, but Shiranui exists too? Yeah. That's also for later. Unless you wanna guess this too.**

 **3) Don't be surprised if actual modern Japanese city names are used, even in reference. I'm sticking with Nippon and the Okami locations mostly, but it's also Japan, based on Japanese myths and such. Calling it Nippon helps keep me on track with the story and reminds me that it's an Okami story that will utilize the actual game content at some point. So it's Nippon.**


	2. Chapter 2

Issun wasn't surprised when him and Shiranui had to take a boat out of Agata Forest. According to the man living there, Karude, the water in the forest was much deeper than it seemed. One wouldn't be able to tell at first glance though, because it was too murky to see past the surface. It was briefly mentioned by Karude that many had met their demise in the water, having either not realized or believed how deep it was, and drowning.

After they parted ways with the man they trekked through Shinshu Fields, stopping only for a lunch break under the Guardian Sapling of the area. "Hey furball, why do you think these are called _"guardian saplings"_? They look fully grown to me. I mean really, they're _huge_. I never thought a sakura tree could that big."

Shiranui munched more on her jerky and let out a half-bark. Nodding Issun reached over and pulled out his sketchbook and a pencil. He would normally use ink and a brush, but he ran out a while ago. Now he had to settle for sketching everything to redo later. He flipped on through the book, looking for a blank page and passing all the others, lingering longer on the drawings of the ladies he'd done.

If someone who knew the boy were to look through the book, they would be shocked to see that the paintings and sketches of ladies were far out numbered by stylized images of a white wolf with red marks drawn in various poses. In almost every one of them, the wolf carried a large paintbrush on it's back. Issun wondered why, of all his works, Shiranui's pictures were often the best.

As Shiranui finished her lunch, Issun stood up and walked a bit away from their spot, placing his book down for only a moment to go back to his wolf friend. Shiranui seemed to know what to do as she was frozen in a low crouch. When the boy shook his head she growled and laid down in protest. "Ah c'mon furball, I know you can do better." Issun stated casually, reaching over to untie the sword. He unwrapped and unsheathed it after glancing around the area to be sure it was just them. "Here. Hold this, but don't go chewing up the hilt okay? I'm puttin' a whole lotta trust in you to keep it nice while I draw you looking cool."

One happy bark later and Issun was sitting a few feet back to get a better view of Shiranui wielding Denkomaru underneath the massive Sakura tree. The duo stayed like that for a long while, Issun sketching away while the wolf held her pose with surprising ease. The sketch took longer than it should have, but the boy wanted this one to be absolutely perfect. He would not leave his place until he had gotten every last detail down, from Shiranui's marks and the bristles on Denkomaru to the petals of the tree behind her. By the time he was satisfied, the sun was beginning it's slow descent and Shiranui's legs were shaking from standing so long.

The boy gave a nod to his companion, who promptly collapsed with her legs sprawled all around her. After putting away his supplies and feeding Shiranui, he picked up Denkomaru from where it was dropped. Issun held it tightly as he wiped the wolf slobber off the hilt. He wasn't entirely sure why, but he suddenly slashed the katana through the air. A falling stick got caught up it the arc and Issun stared as it was cleaved in two. For as long as he had it, he had never actually used the blade. Seeing it in action, and by his own hand of course, awed the boy. That stick was sliced so cleanly that it's precision terrified him. Denkomaru was incredibly sharp, so much so that it seemed other worldly. Issun was almost inclined to believe that, at least.

The thought was a bit unnerving and he hurriedly sheathed and wrapped the blade again, tying the bundle tightly with twine. "Alright, let's get going Snowy. Kamiki's so close no-" Issun was cut off by a yawn. He covered his mouth as Shiranui mimiced him, only she stretched as she did. " Right...well let's moved out."

Shiranui only stared at him as he gathered the rest of his things and even let him tie Denkomaru to her back. Instead of following after the boy though, she grumbled and laid herself back down on the grass . "Arrraaaarrrg." She grumbled, turning her head away from him when he spun around.

"C'mon furball, you can sleep when we reach Kamiki. It's literally, like, right there!" Issun exclaimed, stomping his foot as he waved down the path to Kamiki. The wolf only rolled her eyes and looked away from him, intent on ignoring the boy in favor of a nap.

With a frustrated growl, Issun stomped over and wrapped his arms around the wolf's chest. She went limp and hung there while he tried the lift her off of the ground, only to stumble, drop her, and land on his face. Shiranui leapt to her feet and threw herself across the boy's back, forcing him to lay down with her.

She ignored Issun as he thrashed around in a futile attempt to throw her off. "GET OFF YOU STUPID FURBALL!" He shouted, slamming his balled fists into the ground. Still, she ignored him until he was breathing heavily and laying still. "F-fine...you win...now g-get off."

Shiranui stood up and let out a victory howl before curling up under the tree. Issun followed suit shortly after dropping his bags again. He laid back against the wolf, muttering, "Just a quick nap, m'kay?", before he slowly nodded off.

* * *

"Oh thank you, thank you so much for helping me with this Susano. I know it's here somewhere! I hope it's not too much trouble." A young woman exclaimed as she stepped out of the passenger side of a police car. She wore a simple red and yellow kimono with darker yellow rice patterns on the sleeves. A red hakama covered the kimono and her sleeves were tied at the end, her hair done up in a bun at the top of her head. All in all, she looked as if she stepped out of a history book.

"Of course not Kushi. I, Susano, am the greatest officer in this town! Helping you find a missing bottle should be child's play." The man stated, closing the door to the patrol car. he wore a pretty standard blue uniform with a red utility belt around his waist. The only reason he didn't look very plain was because of his full beard and how what little hair he had stuck up like horns or wings. "Now, I say we try retracing your steps. What did you do exactly?"

Kushi thought for a moment, before walking off down the path towards Agata Forest. "I know I had it while I left Agata Forest because I dropped the box somewhere around the sapling. I only noticed one was missing when I got home. I hope we'll find it." She told the man.

"Do you really need this little bottle Kushi?" The officer asked, somewhat surprised when she shook her head.

"I suppose I don't really need it. I just think it would be a waste of perfectly good sake if I don't find it. There is still enough left to fill the missing bottle and I'd rather not have to pour it out." She admitted, adding on the last part in hopes that Susano wouldn't be too upset. Instead the man just laughed.

"Well then let's hurry this up, hmm? We wouldn't want to waste that sake you worked so hard on. Somewhere around the sakura sapling right?" The man stated gleefully as he led the way. Kushi giggled and followed behind him, glancing around the path in case her missing bottle had somehow rolled it's way there. As the two made their way along the path, a flash of white caught Kushi's eye. The first thing she noticed was, of course, the white wolf curled up under the sakura's branches.

Latching onto Susano's arm to stop him she pointed at the beast. It reminded her of the village legends of Shiranui, the wolf who once protected Kamiki and helped fight the dragon Orochi. "Look Susano. That wolf!" She exclaimed, pointing over to the tree.

Susano's gaze followed her arm and he jumped back a bit. "Oh! Uh...maybe it's best to come back tomorrow to search...wouldn't wanna have to hurt it if it attacked." He said this with a nervous chuckle. Kushi sighed, but nodded in understanding. As they began to walk away she glanced back at it, this time seeing the person curled up against it's side.

"Oh! Susano! I see someone over there!" She called out, tugging on the man's sleeve. Again she pointed out what she saw and Susano's eyes widened. "Do you think that means the wolf is friendly? I don't think wolves would let just anyone lay on them like that. We should go see who that is!"

Susano shook his head. "We don't know if they're dangerous. They could be a thug. What if they sicks that wolf on us?" The man cleared his throat when he realized he was starting to sound scared. "It would probably be best to just leave them."

"But they could be hurt or sick or something. We should check and see." Before Susano could stop her, she made her way over to the duo. The man followed after her at a distance, obviously frightened by the wolf.

Shiranui, hearing the approaching footsteps, woke up and leaped to her feet. She glanced at Issun once while he rubbed at his face and turned back to Kushi and Susano with a growl. "Eek!" Kushi yelped and backed away from the snarling animal, frightened by the sudden, aggressive move. Susano hurried to Kushi's side, gripping a night stick tightly in his shaking hands. They stayed like that for a few more moments before Issun woke up enough to fully grasp the situation.

Still half asleep, he reached over and flicked Shiranui's ear, saying, "Stop that furball. Can't ya see you're scaring them. Pops here looks like he's gunna wet himself if you keep that up." Almost immediately she plopped down, hanging her head low with her ears drooping. Shiranui let out a pitiful whine that Issun ignored in favor of the people in front of them. He sat up and set his elbows on his knees, blinking the sleep from his eyes. "Hey Pops, babe. Sorry 'bout her, Shiranui's a bit over protective. She didn't scare ya too bad, huh?" Neither of them said anything, but they shook their heads slowly.

"That's good. Don't need to be getting in trouble for biting everyone now, you know?" This was obviously directed at Shiranui, so they continued their silence until he turned to them. "Right, I'm Issun, wandering artist extraordinaire, and the furball here's Shiranui. Who're you?" Issun watched in amusement as they realized he was addressing them. He knew he was a fast talker, so it wasn't much of a surprise and the cheery tone probably wasn't helping their confusion.

"Oh, er, I'm Susano, greatest police officer in Kamiki village." The man said, puffing out his chest.

Issun rolled his eyes and Shiranui snorted loudly. "Whatever makes ya happy Pops. And how 'bout you babe? What's your name?" The boy grinned as Kushi stared in shock, sputtering a bit at the nickname he'd given her. Susano's furious glare only encouraged him, so when he didn't get an immediate answer from Kushi, he said, "C'mon sweetie don't be shy. I just wanna know your name."

"K-kushi...I'm sorry, I've never been spoken to like that." She stated, twittering uneasily. The boy only raised an eyebrow at that and chuckled.

"I'd think such a pretty girl would be used to it. Ah well, sorry if I made ya uncomfortable babe."

"Anyhow, what's a kid like you doing out now? Do you know what time it is?" Susano interrupted before either of them could say anything else. The boy turned to him and shrugged.

"I dunno, I don't have a watch. But it's dark so...sleep time. " Issun responded, shooting the man a cheeky grin. Watching the man seethe only made the grin wider.

"Issun was it?" Kushi started, waiting for a nod before she continued, "It's almost midnight Issun. You shouldn't be out this late, especially here of all places. The Yamata brothers tend to prowl about at this time and it isn't safe when they do."

Susano nodded along, ignoring the boy's confusion, and said, "Would you like a ride home? If it's not a problem with you Kushi, we can come back to look for your missing bottle tomorrow." Neither of them seemed to catch the slight flinch and the worried look on his face for the brief moment they were there.

He wasn't stupid, he had thought about this sort of thing and made an excuse. Only, it was a lot different when he actually had to say it instead of play it out in his head. "J-just a ride into town'd be nice. I gotta find my Aunt's place. Something about a long trip or what not, so I'm gonna watch the place for her." Issun really hoped that they didn't catch his stutter. It didn't seem like it, since they both nodded. Of course he wasn't too surprised since they seemed to be too busy looking at each other.

"Er, are you sure? We can just drop you off." The man said, but Issun shook his head.

"I'm sure."

"Well, alright...just don't go causing trouble once we're gone. If you do, I'll find out. After all I-" Susano stated, only to be cut off by Issun as he grabbed his things.

"-am the greatest police officer in Kamiki Village? Right. Gotcha." The boy finished for him. "Say, do I get to ride in a police car? I've never really been in one before. Sounds cool, huh Snowy?" Shiranui barked happily, surprising the two adults. She had been so quiet that they forgot she was there.

Kushi was the first one to recover, leading Issun down the path to Susano's patrol car. "So, Issun, would you like to hear about our village's legend of Shiranui and Nagi? Shiranui was a wolf very much like yours."

"Sure thing babe! And I'll tell you about that thing on her back as payment." Susano had to jog after them to keep up.


	3. Chapter 3

The sun began to peek over the horizon and if anyone were to visit Kamiki village's sacred tree, Konohana, they would see a white wolf lazing under the glowing pink blossoms. A closer look would show the bright red markings across her body. She yawned, stretching her front legs out and back arching with her tail curled. Quickly she scanned the area to make sure no one was around before trotting over to a small opening among the roots of the tree, right behind a shrine. It was a bit bigger than her, but only just. Once inside though, the path opened up enough for one to stand.

She walked quietly down the damp path, claws scraping against the rough stone of the cavern. It felt wrong to the wolf to walk through the stone passage, like she should be passing through a different place. The destination would be the same either way, but how she knew that was a mystery. Still she trotted on down, deep into the cliff side the tree sat upon until she reached a large cavern. A massive statue of a man wielding a sword towered over her from it's pedastal on the lower half of the cave. She paid it no mind as she turned to a sheltered corner of the place.

Issun lay curled in the corner, partially hidden by the large rocks and further by the dull grey blanket he wrapped himself in. The wolf sat on the other side and barked once...twice...and one more time before squeezing between the boulders to get to him. She sat beside him and barked again, earning her a muttered "go away" and a dismissive wave of his hand. With a growl she grabbed the corner of the worn blanket and pulled, sending the boy tumbling across the ground.

Bolting upright, he glared at the wolf and snatched the blanket back. "What was that for furball?! I was sleepin' ya know!" Issun exclaimed, angrily throwing the blanket over the wolf. She yelped in surprise and tried to paw it off of her head, managing that only to get her legs tangled instead. After a minute or two of tugging at it while Issun laughed at her, she freed herself. The boy reached over and picked up the blanket."Serves you right furball. Next time you'll know better than to mess with me." He said as he folded it carefully.

Shiranui turned her back to him with a disgruntled huff, purposefully hitting him with her tail before slipping back through the rocks. She ignored the boy's enraged cries as she trotted back above ground. The sun was now higher in the sky and the world a bit lighter, but there were still traces of the fading night left. While waiting for Issun she circled the tree for any snacks, sticking her nose in small cracks and crevices and almost getting it stuck in a rabbit hole. When she turned away from it, she saw something she had missed the night before.

A stone statue sat up on a pedestal, enshrined there for all to see. It looked a lot like herself, only it stayed in a crouch, ready to pounce at any moment. Shiranui decided she didn't like it, dropping into a crouch and growling at it. Out of nowhere, something hit the side of her head. She snapped her head to look at it only to find a bunch of jerky mashed into a poor excuse for a ball. Her ear twitch at the voice of Issun, teasing her again. "It's a statue dummy. Not another wolf." He leaned back against the massive tree, munching on a strawberry bun while seemingly amused by her. She ignored him in favor of her breakfast.

Issun wore the same clothes as the previous day and only had his satchel slung over his shoulders. Pushing off the tree, he waved at her to follow with his free hand. "C'mon Snow. I wanna check out the town. I've never been to Kamiki before." Issun said once she had finished her food. As they walked down the twisting path, Issun asked, "So...you think we should explore first? Or would you rather go visit that Kushi babe from yesterday?" As soon as the woman's name left his mouth Shiranui barked happily, wagging her tail with an expectant look on her face.

Suddenly she took off back up hill, returning with a decorative, but empty, sake bottle. "Well, alrighty then, Kushi's it is. 'Sides, she might need some help or something since she said she works all alone when she makes her sake."

* * *

Kushi's house was near the center of the town and pretty easy to find, what with the large sake jug over the roof. She had been up since dawn, stocking the shelves and cleaning the storefront when she heard a knock at her door. She was surprised, to say the least. No one usually stopped by this early as most weren't even awake, she couldn't help wondering who it could be.

Carefully, she pulled the curtains back. When she couldn't see anyone, she leaned to the left to try and see someone. As she did, someone leapt up and slammed the glass with their hands. She let out a startled shriek and jumped back, tripping over her kimono and landing on her butt. Looking back at the door she could see the boy from the other day, Issun, she believed. He seemed startled by her reaction, and maybe a bit worried. Behind him she could see Shiranui standing on her back paws, using the boy for support as she peered through the window.

Having recovered by then, Kushi stood up and opened the door with a sigh. "Issun was it? What are you doing here so early?" She asked, moving aside to let him in. She was about to close the door when she heard the wolf whine. She had to wave her in too, since Shiranui looked so crestfallen at the thought of being left outside.

The boy shrugged as he walked inside. "That's right babe. And you're Kushi if I remember right." He paused for a second and looked around. "The furball woke me up pretty early and I couldn't get back to sleep, so I figured we'd check out the town. But furball here went out and found somethin' of yours so we came here instead." He chuckled and added, "Sorry 'bout that by the way. Didn't mean to scare you...well, I did, but not like that. Anyway, here."

As Kushi tried to keep up with Issun's chatter, he shoved something into her hands. She blinked and looked down to see her missing sake jug. "...Oh, oh! Thank you Issun!" Again the boy shrugged and this time he pointed at his wolf.

"Furball found it, not me."

After glancing between the two her gaze settled on the wolf, whose head was tilted and tongue lolling out of her mouth. "Well then, thank you Shiranui." Kushi patted her head before addressing Issun again, leading them further into her shop. "So Issun, I see you left Denkomaru at home. I hope you're settling in at your aunt's alright."

"Huh...? Oh, yeah, yeah. It's good." Issun said, momentarily forgetting that he told her that story. He wasn't too worried about Denkomaru since it was pretty well hidden. "Only problem is that they didn't leave any spending money, not even an allowance, and I used all mine to get here." He stated as he followed along. Kushi stopped and stared at him.

"Oh, so you need a job then? Well..."She seemed to stop and think for a moment, before sighing and shaking her head. "Yes, you can work here! Some people might not be too keen on the idea, but most of them will understand I'm sure. Susano would normally be helping me, but with his recent schedule it's been harder for him to do so." With that she turned back to the bottles she was stocking.

Issun blinked, confused at first but soon her grinned. "For real babe? Thanks." He said, trying not to shout in joy. Now they wouldn't have to go hungry or something. Of course he couldn't say that out loud though. He knelt next to he box and started putting the bottles up on the shelf as well. When Kushi glanced at him, he tilted his head. "What? I figure I owe ya for that scare back there. Consider it free labor." He joked.

"Um...well, I'd feel bad making you work without pay even if you owe me. How about I give you 2400 yen to spend around town for today?" Kushi offered, which Issun would have excepted without Shiranui's encouraging bark.

"Sure, thanks babe. So when can I start?" He asked.

After a moment of silence, Kushi said, "Tomorrow at about six or seven o' clock. The shop doesn't open until about eight though. Oh Issun, I'm so glad to have someone to help me. Granted I'm worried about you working here, but only because some people might not like me letting a teenager work in a sake shop. Still, now it should be easier to man the shop and the mill!"

"Mill? Wait...Kushi-babe, do you make this yourself?! How do you have any free time?!" Issun asked, somewhat surprised.

Kushi rubbed the back of her head sheepishly at the question. "Ah, well, I just have shorter weekend hours, though most of those are spent brewing next weeks sake...but I love what I do, so I think it's worth it!" She explained, realizing for the first time how little time she had to herself. Not that it mattered much to her since she really did love her job. As she put the last bottle on the shelf she stood up, taking the missing bottle Shiranui found with her. "Issun, would you mind following me? I have to go fill this, but I'll show you which one is next. You just need to find the name in the aisles and once I'm back, I'll show you the ropes, alright?"

"Gotcha. Get box, play the matching game and then learn how to work." Issun stated, before asking, "Is there any work furball could do?"

The young woman thought for a second, finally saying, "I'm not sure, but maybe we could think of something?"

"Yeah," Issun nodded. "I bet there's something she could do." He glanced back over his shoulder to see the wolf laying on the floor with her eyes closed. He could hardly believe how lucky he was.

* * *

Kushi had kept true to her word and gave him the 2400 yen as promised, though she had kicked him out after giving him a basic explanation on what his job would be. So for the past few hours he and Shiranui had been wandering the town. The center of it was small compared to the big cities he'd seen, but it was nice. There was a library there as well as a temple across from it. A block or so away was the school, which he did plan on attending once summer was over.

Now that he had a job, he figured he could afford lunches without worry. He wondered if he should find others his age later. At the moment though, he was just strolling through. Many people had been interested in Shiranui though and the wolf's tail wouldn't stop wagging after all the people who had come just to pet her. "You're such a ham furball." Issun stated, watching yet another person walk away after petting the wolf. She only ignored him and trotted ahead to sniff out more attention.

"Right...just run along without me. I don't mind." He huffed, crossing his arms across his chest as he pouted. Suddenly he stiffened, feeling the hair on the back of his neck stand up. Was someone watching him? He glanced over his shoulder at the people behind him but couldn't see anything or anyone. Maybe he was being paranoid? Checking again he finally saw it. A man leaning against the library wall.

The stranger's black hair was slicked back and he wore a simple black suit. There was a red broach at his throat, but Issun was too far to see the shape. As the boy met the man's covered eyes, the man smiled a smile that sent shivers down his spine. But when Issun blinked the man was gone, leaving no sign that he was there at all. He thought, no hoped he was imagining things. Even so he caught up to Shiranui just in case he wasn't.

* * *

 **I got to read your comments so thank you guys!**

 **I got a question about pairings and I didn't plan on anything. But if you wanted to share your faves that'd be cool.**


	4. Chapter 4

At seven o'clock sharp the next day, Issun was wide awake and on his way out to work at Kushi's sake shop. He was quite proud of himself at the moment for having come up with something for Shiranui to do while he worked. He had made a simple sign with a cartoon wolf carrying a jug of sake in it's mouth. Above that was the name of Kushi's shop, unimaginatively named "Kushi's Brews". It would be Shiranui's job to sit outside and wear the sign around her neck, or maybe to walk around town like that.

Even with the flood of pride he felt about his good work he couldn't shake off the feeling that he was forgetting something. As an added precaution before he left the cave he had tucked away Denkomaru in a niche just big enough for the sword, so it wasn't that. Hid belongings had also been hidden under the partially folded grey blanket that matched the cavern walls, so that wasn't a problem either.

Issun just brushed it off as paranoia, and maybe his fear of being found out, and left the cave that had become his home. He and his wolf friend had set a somewhat fast pace to his new job, only slowed by Shiranui's need for affection from strangers. They had reached the shop half an hour later, where Kushi happily greeted them outside the shop and Issun explained the idea he had for making Shiranui a mascot for the little store. He was glad that she liked the idea as much as he did.

It was only when Kushi had stepped inside with Shiranui's hot on her heels that he felt the same hair-raising feeling of eyes on his back that he felt yesterday. Too afraid to look behind him, Issun glanced at the reflection in the window. Across the street, standing just outside the alley between two houses, was a man very much like the one he'd seen yesterday. The man had the same slicked back hair and fancy suit as the one from the day before. The only difference between them were the brooches they wore, the previous one having a red brooch and the current had a blue one.

Issun hurried into the shop once his mind put the pieces together. Now he remembered what he'd forgotten. He was being followed.

* * *

As the week wore on, Issun was both teriffied and thankful that he hadn't seen his stalker(s? He wasn't sure if it was the same person or not). Terrified because they could have gotten better at hiding from him, and thankful because he knew he sort of hoped that they had decided he wasn't worth their time and left him be. He had thought of mentioning it to Kushi, but instead had decided to wait until he saw them once more. That way somebody knew to look for him should he disappear.

Of course that was if the next time he would see them wouldn't be the last time he was free. He really hoped he was just being a bit paranoid lately, but it was getting increasingly hard to push his thoughts on the strangers away. As hectic as his mind was at the moment, he hadn't heard the approaching footsteps or noticed the hand coming down on his shoulder until it made contact.

Issun felt like his heart had just tried to leap out of his throat as his head snapped around to look beside him. It was Kushi, just Kushi, staring down at him with anxious concern. The usual smile she would direct at him was gone and he briefly wondered if he had made some horrible mistake that he couldn't fix. But that didn't make sense to him, why would she be concerned then? No, it must have been something else.

The woman knelt next to him and asked, "Are you alright Issun? You were just sitting here staring at nothing..." The question and following explanation seemed to fully snap him out of his thoughts.

It was Friday. He was at work with Kushi and Shiranui. What was he doing though? Probably restocking shelves again, he was sure that was why he was on the ground. He looked down at his hands and did his best to smile like always. Though it felt more forced than anything else. "Hah, sorry babe. Got a bit distracted is all. No worries."

The look she gave him was one of obvious disbelief, and she grabbed both of his shoulders firmly, turning the boy to face her. "I'm sorry, but I find that hard to believe. You've just been sitting there staring into space for fifteen minutes." At the surprised look on his face, she continued, "I'm serious Issun. I know you're on your own right now, what with your aunt and uncle being out of the country. You know you can talk to me right?"

Nodding along Issun said, "Yeah, thanks. But don't worry yourself babe, it's nothin' serious. I promise I'll tell ya if anything happens."The boy's smile widened now, more sincere this time. It seemed to calm the woman's nerves as well, though not entirely, but enough for her to be happy for the time being.

And the rest of the day blew by smoothly, with Issun overly excited about his first pay from this job.

* * *

A month went by and the next day he would start school. It would greatly cut down on his time for work, but he felt it best to at least attend classes. It had a sense of normalcy to it that he wouldn't admit to missing. As long as he kept working, he supposed it wouldn't be a problem to attend school too.

Though Issun would admit to one thing about the school year he wasn't liking. The uniforms. They were too plain -a white dress shirt under a black blazer with matching black slacks to be exact- but he might be able to fix it up a bit so that at least made him feel a little better. He still lamented over the fact that he needed new shoes, but he figured it could wait. They may have been worn down and covered in paint and holes and grass marks, but they were still holding together well enough.

He had planned to buy some sort of space heater for his cave before winter, assuming they had something other than electric heaters. He knew he still had a bit of time though, so he didn't worry much about it. Instead he spent his hard earned money on thing he may end up needing, such as a couple plastic storage boxes, some foods he knew wouldn't rot fast, and simple things like over the counter medicines for colds. Maybe there was a whole first aid kit somewhere in there, but he wasn't about to delve back into the reason it might be there.

Instead he just laid back on the cheap sleeping bag he'd snagged because it was on sale and covered himself with his thin, grey blanket. Kushi had let him go early that day so he could get proper rest for the next day and he'd almost jumped at the chance for once. The only problem was that as soon as he was alone, he started to fret and double and triple check his satchel for the school supplies he'd bought.

Issun's nerves were fried at this point though and his only real comfort was that the men in suits hadn't been seen all month long.

* * *

.

.

.

"So, you mean to tell me that that scrawny brat is the one who outsmarted Lord Yami?" The question rang out from the man at the head of the long, polished tiger wood table. He looked exactly the same as the other seven men dressed in black, the only difference being the red, flame-shaped brooch with the kanji for 'fire' at his throat.

"I've seen him too, and I'm leaning more towards dumb luck being what saved the brat Ichigo," replied one of the others. This one was identifiable by the brooch that resembled seven beams of white light extending from a single, circular point with the knaji for 'light' on it.

A chuckle sounded from another of the look alikes, this time with a dark purple skull and crossbones combo with a kanji for 'poison'. "I never pegged you as one to believe it luck Hikari."

A shout of "Shut up Hotaru!" was heard in response to the comment before yet another brother spoke up, albeit much quieter than the last few. He wore a gold lightning bolt brooch with a kanji for 'electricity' on it and spoke mostly to his closest brother, who wore a blue water droplet with the appropriate word engraved on it. "Ashiya, how did he escape Lord Yami again?"

Ashiya replied with a shrug, "I think the kid jumped in a river. Or something like that anyway. No need to think on it much Tarou." His brother only raised a questioning eyebrow but otherwise remained silent, so Ashiya turned his attention to his other side. "And what do you think of him Hibiki?"

The man with the green spiral brooch with the wind kanji engraving tilted his head thoughtfully, saying, "He's a reckless one alright. We might be able to use that."

"Ah, but patience is a virtue brother. Perhaps we should wait him out. What do you think Hichirou?" The brother with a brown, mountain-shaped brooch and 'earth' kanji asked the last of their brothers.

The final man had a shiny black crescent shaped brooch with the kanji for darkness. He nodded in agreement at the question, saying, "I agree with Daichi, though I'd rather not get my hands dirty if possible. Though I have been thinking about what to do once we catch him and take back Lord Yami's sword. Have any of you thought about it?"

Most of the brothers shook their heads, but Hichirou could see the obviously murderous gleam in Ichigo's eyes. With a grin, the man continued, "He's fairly appealing in appearance, so we can always sell the bastard thief. Or, if you'd rather keep him around, we could share. It's been a long time since we had pets after all."

There werequiet murmurs around the table until Ichigo stood up. "I say we cross that bridge when we get there. For now, monitor the boy's movements. I want to know everything, from were he goes to whom he talks with. Fletch out his usual routine and favored alternatives. I feel we should give him a long time to get cozy before we make our moves. By next spring he'll probably forget all about having seen us. Is that clear?" There was a round of nodding heads and 'yes sir's that made the head brother smile. "Good, now you're all dismissed."

* * *

 **So, I'm not dead. I was just really busy making arts to sell at a con. And also finishing the prologue of my original comic. But anyway, I'm leaving a list here of the human names of Orochi in this story. So here it is:**

 **Fire- Ichigo**

 **Light- Hikari**

 **Poison- Hotaru**

 **Lightning- Tarou**

 **Water- Ashiya**

 **Wind- Hibiki**

 **Earth- Daichi**

 **Darkness- Hichirou**


End file.
